Check-punch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. H. WOODWORT H. CHECK PUNCH NOQ 556,392.

Patented Mar. 17,1896

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

CHARLES H. WVOODIVORTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- IIA'LF TO CHARLES F. DAVIS, OF EL PASO, TEXAS.

CHECK-PUNCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,392, dated March 17, 1896.

Application filed May 16, 1895. Serial No. 549,501. (No model.)

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. WOOD- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-Punches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction of check-punches, and in accomplishing this object I construct the punch of two relatively movable members, one of which carries all of the male and the other all of the female dies, said members being so related that when moved relatively to each other in one direction all the male dies move as a single member (i. e., they are incapable of movement relatively to each other) and enter the female dies, and when moved in the opposite direction all of said male dies are withdrawn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a punch of such compact form that it may be conveniently carried in the pocket, and in accomplishing this object I construct the punch of the two relatively movable members aforesaid, and I locate all the dies in a single line or row, one behind another, so that the overall dimensions of the completed punch are about three and one-fourth inches by two inches by seven-sixteenths of an inch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a punch of such construction and weight that it caneasily be held and operated by one hand, and the accomplishing of this object is rendered possible by constructing the punch of the two relatively movable members aforesaid.

Another object of the invention is to so improve the construction of dies for punches that less power is required for punching the characters than when the dies are of the customary construction, and in accomplishing this object I so construct each pair of dies that they operate after the manner of shears, the cutting of the paper progressing from one part of the character to another.

To these ends the invention consists in the features of novelty that are particularly pointed out in the claims hereinafter, and in order that it may be fully understood I will describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of the specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved punch inclosed in a pocketcase. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the improved punch with the pocket case-removed, showing the manner of holding it while using it. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof on a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof on the line I 4, Fig. 7. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section thereof on the line 5 5, Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical transverse sections thereof on the lines 6 6 and 7 7, respectively, Fig. a. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion thereof on a still larger scale. Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation showing in detail the construction of the male die. Figs. 3, 4c, 5, 6, 7, and 9 are drawn to a scale of about two to one.

The feature that makes possible the carrying out of the objects of the invention is associating all of the male dies so that they opperate as a single member, associating all of the female dies so that they operate as a single member, and so relating these twowmembers that all the male dies approach and enter all the female dies at every relative movement of these two members in one direction, andall the male dies are withdrawn and removed from all the female dies at every relative movement of these two members in the opposite direction. Since all of the dies thus operate simultaneously, it is necessary to have as many places for the insertion of the check to be punched as there are characters in the punch. For example, upon reference to the drawings it will be seen that the punch has twelve slits or stalls, one for each character, and in order to punch a given character it is necessary to insert the check in the appropriate one of these stalls.

For the sake of clearness in this specification all of the elements going to make up one of the two members already referred to will be indicated by capital reference-letters, the elements going to make up the other member will be indicated by small reference-letters, and the parts that do not properly belong to either one of these two members will be indicated by numerals.

The male dies are shown at a. Each of them is made up of a number of pins arranged in the proper relation to each other to form the desired character and secured to an arm I), there being of course as many of these arms I) as there are male dies. These arms are arranged in a single row, and each is separated from the next bya space sufficient for the admission of the check. The invention is not limited to any particular manner of construction and spacing these arms; but I prefer to construct each of a single plate of metal of appropriate size and strength and to space them by means of a number of blocks 0, (l, and e, the plates and blocks all being provided with two perforations for the passage of two long tie-bolts or screws f, by which they are all securely held together,so that they are positively incapable of any movement relative to each other and must of necessity move as a single member. The blocks (1 ande are extended downward and are provided with other perforations for the reception of two rods g, that are permanently secured to them by some suitable means as, for example, rivets h. This completes the description of one of the two members of which the punch is constructed, and this member will hereinafter be called the inner member, for the reason that it fits within the other member, which will be called the outer member.

A feature of the outer member is that it forms a shell or casing which completely incloses the inner member, and to this end it is constructed of two side plates, A, two end plates, 13, and a bottom plate, 0, all of which are secured together by screws or other suitable devices. The side plates are provided with a number of slits or openings A, resulting in a number of tongues, and these tongues are coupled together in pairs (to form what are herein called the arms of the outer memher) by plates E and crown-plates F, the several parts being secured together by screws, rivets or other suitable means. To each of these arms, excepting the first one, is secured one of the female dies D. Each of these dies consists of a steel plate having perforations D suitably arranged to receive the pins that make up the corresponding male die, and each of them bears near its outer edges upon the edges of oppositely-located tongues A of its supporting-arm, so that the lines of force are parallel with the faces of said tongues. The crown'plates form convenient places for index characters for indicating the slit A, into which the check must be inserted in order to punch a given character.

G is a block located between the sides A and permanently secured in place by screws II. Its object is to assist in guiding the two members in their movement relative to each other, and to this end it is provided with perforations, through which the rods 9 pass loosely, the arrangement being such that the rods and block are confined against relative lateral movement, but permitting them to slide relatively to each other in the direction of the length of the rods. I prefer to thus guide the two members rather than to allow the inner member to have contact with and slide upon the outer member, because by so doing the friction is very materially lessened.

In order to use a punch thus constructed, it is held in one hand, as indicated in Fig. 2, with one finger inserted in an opening I formed in the outer member and so located that it discloses a portion of the part 61 of the inner member, which part serves as a trigger. The check is then inserted inthe appropriate slit or stall A, and by pressing upon the trigger d the two members are moved relatively to each other in opposite directions and eachof the male dies will enter the corresponding female die throughout the entire series. hen the pressure is released, springs 2, that are located within the outer member and surrounding extensions 9 of the rods g, and that exert pressure in opposite directions against the two members, will restore them to their former normal positions, withdrawing all the male dies from all the female dies. This operation is repeated until the desired characters have been punched in the check.

G is a stop for limiting the movement of the inner member relative to the outer member. \Vithout some such stop the springs would bring the arms b of the inner member into contact with the die-plates D of the outer member, and would thereby confine between the two members the pieces of paper that are punched from the check and possibly other foreign substances. \Vith such a stop, however, there is always sufiicient space between the arms I) and the die-plates D to permit any such foreign substance to fall out. IVith a view to still further facilitating this disposition of the bits of paper that are punched from the check the lower portions of the clicplates are cut away, as shown at D" in Figs. 6 and 8.

In order to minimize the force required for punching a character, the dies are constructed with cutting-faces that act after the manner of a pair of shears, and in order to produce this action I prefer to construct each of the male dies of a number of pins of unequal lengths having their ends beveled, as shown more clearly in Fig. 9. \Vith this arrangement the longest pin or pins will act first and the shortest last, and in this way the cutting is made to progress from one part of the character being out to another instead of cutting the whole character at the same instant.

For convenience in carrying the punch in the pocket it is provided with a pocket-case consisting of the two parts 3 and 4, (shown in Fig. 1,) the latter of which is simply a sliding cover, and the former of which is preferably permanently secured to the outer member and is dressed off at 5 to form a suitable grip or bearing for the hand.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and.

.desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a check-punch the combination of a number of male dies, a number of female dies alternating therewith, all of said dies being arranged in a single row, and two relativelymovable members by which all of said dies are carried, the dies of each member being incapable of movement relatively to each other so that at every operation each of the male dies enters its appropriate female die, substantially as set forth.

2. In a check-punch the combination of a number of male dies, a number of female dies alternating therewith, all of said dies being arranged in asingle row with a space between the dies of each pair for receiving the check, and two relatively movable members by which all of said dies are carried.

3. In a check-punch the combination of a number of male dies, a number of female dies alternating therewith, all of said dies being arranged in a single row with a space between the dies of each pair for receiving the check, two relatively-movable members by which all of said dies are carried and a spring exerting its pressure in opposite directions against said members and tending constantly to separate the male and female dies, substantially as set forth.

at. In a check-punch the combination of two relatively-movable members each having a number of arms, a die carried by each of said arms, said dies being arranged in pairs comprising a male die carried by one of the arms of one member and a female die carried by one of the arms of the other member, all of the arms of both the said members being arranged in a single row substantially as set forth.

5. In a'check-punch the combination of two relatively-movable members arranged one within the other, the outer member having a number of arms with intervening spaces, the inner member having a number of arms located between the arms of the outer member, and a number of male and female dies arranged in pairs, each comprising a male die carried by one of the arms of one member and a female die carried by one of the arms of the other member, substantially as set forth.

6. In a check-punch the combination of two relativelymovable members arranged one within the other, the outer member having side plates provided with a number of oppositely-located slits resulting in oppositely-located tongues, and the inner member having a number of arms arranged between the arms of the outer member and a number of dies, one carried by each of the arms of each member, substantially as set forth.

7. In a check-punch the combination of two relatively-movable members arranged one within the other and each having a number of arms with intervening spaces for receiving the check, and a die carried by each arm of each member said dies being arranged in pairs comprising a male and a female, the outer member having an opening for the admission of the finger for engaging the inner member, substantially as set forth.

8. In a check-punch the combination of two relatively-movable members arranged one within the other the inner member comprising a number of plates, a number of intervening spacing-blocks, one of said blocks being extended to form a trigger, and the outer member comprising a pair of side plates having a number of tongues located one upon each side of each of the plates of the inner member, a die carried by each pair of tongues of the outer member, a die carried by each plate of the inner member, an opening formed in the outer member and giving access to the trigger of the inner, and a spring located within the inner member and exerting its pressure in opposite directions upon the two members, substantially as set forth.

CHARLES H. WOODIVORTH.

lVitnesses: I

L. M. HOPKINS, S. E. SHARON. 

